Road building spacer



March 29, D. B B|5Hop ROAD BUILDING SPACER Filed Dc.

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Patented Mar. 29, 1932 UNITED STATES lPAT-EN ofgFFlcE DONALD B. BISHOP, F PITTSBURGH, IPENNSYLVANIAQ, SSIGNOE TO ELECTRIC WELD- ING COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH.PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- .VANIA noni) BUILDING srAcER Application filed December 19, 1928. YSerial No. 327,021.

My invention consists of .an improvement 1n means for forming-a `defined clearance space or crevasse in roadways or the like,V

capable of distention, collapse and removal.

In themodern practice of highway er roadway construction the tendency to crack due -to expansion and contraction under weather changes, traffic, etc. is counteracted by pro viding preformed channels at-intervals, either longitudinally or crosswise, so that the separated solid sectionsmay expand or contract as isolated units without imparting continuous strains resulting in fracture, ribbing of the surface, or the like. Such spaces are ordinarily filled with a substance or material capable of considerable compression or eX- pansion so as to maintain the channels closed under all conditions. l

Ordinarily such channels are made b y utilizing a spacer plate and a filling of premolded joint material whichmay be allowed to remain in place after the plate is forcibly removed and the pavement is hardened, or of other material which must be forcibly removed with considerable labor, trouble and cost.

In my invention I utilize a spacing form or spreader made of a pairof sides ofplate or sheet metal, or other suitable material, joined together at their lower edge portions and capable of distention and collapse for insertion, use, and, removal, as hereinafter described.

In the drawings showing certain preferred constructions Vwhen made straight, partly broken away;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the spacer collapsed for removal;

Fig. 6 is a sectional perspective View showing a modified construction;

Fig. 7 is an end view showing a one piece form; Y

j Fig. 8 is a view showing` one form of lifting hook;

Fig. 9 is a similar view showing another form of lifting tool.

In the drawings,.2 is the road bed highway made of concrete, asphalt, or similar material between adjacent sections lof which are to be provided intervening clearance spaces or grooves for subsequent filling.

'For such purpose I provide the spacer consisting of opposite side membersl 3 of plate or sheet metal or other suitable material joined at their lower edges by, any suitable means, as countersunk rivets 4. j The upper inner edge portions of yone or both sides 3 are provided with abutments of anysuitable kind or form adaptedto provide forholding`V and lifting engagement of a suitable tool, as

hook' 6. The abutments Vextend inwardly' Y and may 'be in the form' of a grooved stud having countersunk rivet connection, providing forhook, engagement. rI`he countersunk rivets avoid outer projection and facilitate Vsmooth sliding engagement against the road aggregate during removal.

Another advantage of the abut1nents5 is that Vthey provide atv intervals supportsl for thev longitudinal closing strips 7 for covering the-interior'space against entrance' of road.- way material during pouring, spreading, etc.

I show in Fig. 6 a modified construction in which the. inwardly Yextending"abutments may be formed by punching the metal inwardly asv at 5a, partly severing .it vand form# ing a liftinghole 8 for insertionjofa suitable tool, as hook 6a.. Y Y

With either construction ofvabutment the sides 3 preferably tend to spring together.

when the `stripf `is removed and to collapse, for separation from the contacting surfaces of the aggregate at each side, when ,the spacer may Vthen be withdrawn, without disturbance ofthe pavement aggregate. The sides may also be forcibly collapsed by drawing the sides'together by any suitable tool or appliance.

Instead of riveting or otherwise connecting the lower'edges of sides 3, as by welding, I-`

may make jthei'n of a continuous integral blank doubled upon itself asat 9 and pressed of slight spreading for insertion ofthe strip 7 and to provide for contraction when it is 5 removed, and for free clearance space permitting lift-ing` and removal.

When used, the '.distendedV spacers with spreader strips 7 inserted, are located in proper positiom either lengthwise or endwise withiiithe area of the roadway being made. Their outer sides are preferably lubricated by oil or the like, to assist in removal. The aggregate 2 is then applied withA its surface flush with or below the upper edges of sides 'if 3, finished smooth and allowed to harden or set.

Thereupon strips 7 are removed, thesides 3 are collapsed, and the spacerI or spacers are removed' for further use, leaving corresponding V- shaped grooves extending downwardly between adjacent roadway units. These spaces or grooves may then be subsequently filled with asphaltum or other suitable inaterial, following usual practice.

Whilethe improvement is well adapted to road building operations, it may also be Aused Gil with equallygood results in laying floor slabs of aggregate or in laying up wall surfaces of similar material, etc.

It will also be understoodthat a plurality of sections may be used, placed end to end, for any lengt-h desired.

The construction andV operation of the inventionwill bek readily understood and ap-`A preciated by all those familiar with road building practice.

VVhenused longitudinally the 'spacers may be continuously straight andl when laid trans# ver'sely they may be curved to correspond to the crown of the road. They may be made in any desired length, depth, thickness of material, or otherwise changed or varied in detail construction to adapt to local conditions or otherwise by the skilled me'- chanic, within the scope of the following.

claims..

What I claim is l'. A- road building spacer consisting of al pair of expansible sides joined closelyv to-4 gether at their lower edge portions and hav-l ingv a spacing abutment extending from one sidetoward the other below their upperedges and providing clearance for an inserted spacing strip.

2. A road building spacer consisting of `a pair of expansible sides joined closely together at their lower edge portions. andv provided with interior integral spacing abutments.

. '3. A road building spacer consisting of a pair of expansible sides joined closely tgether at their lower edge portions and .pr'o' vided with :interior abutments extending from vone sidetowa-rds .the other below their upper edges and providing liftin'g'shoulder's;

vided with smooth unobstructed outer faces andinner spacing abutments below their 11pper, e dge s and extending inwardly from one yte the other,

5, A road building spacer consisting of' a pair of eXpansible sides joined closely .toe

gather at their lower edge portions' by coun: tersunk rivets and provided with interior lifting abutments secured to one of the sides and extending towards the other.

6. A roadbuilding spacer consisting of a pair of expansible sides joined closely together at their lower edge portions and provided with interior spacing abutments and having a Yfilling strip between theirupper edges holding them apart and resting on said abut-ments.

7. 'l road building spacer consisting of a pair of expansiblesid'es, means' maintaining the sides separated from each other, anda removable yfilling strip v'between their upper edges holding them apart and 'resting on said separating means...

V8. A roadbuilding spacer consisting of aj pair of eXpansible sides oined at their lower edge portions and provided with interior spacing abutments and having a illingstrip between their upper edgesresting von said abutments.y 4

9. In combination for use with roadway aggregate, a collapsible double wall spacer iii-j tervening between adj acent sections thereof provided with spacing abutinerlt's and hav? ing a spacing strip between the upper edges ofthe walls.

' In testimony whereof I hereunto'aflix my 

